Watchdog complaint at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board leads to investigation into vascular care

Various complaints were made by patients and the Community Health Council (Llais Cymru) in Wales which led to the Royal College of Surgeons instigating an investigation into the Health Board’s vascular care. In total, 47 patients were reviewed with the potential for many more to have been impacted by this negligence.

The Health Board has confirmed that there has been negligence with treatments regarding many aspects of vascular care. Due to this in some cases, there were unnecessary delays in carrying out amputations which led to patients having unnecessary grafts and debridement. In another case, the hospital has alleged to have unnecessarily carried out an above knee amputation in a dementia patient.

In recent days, Wales' largest health board has said it apologises "unreservedly" after treatment delays led to a patient losing the sight in an eye following the investigation by a watchdog into complaints about vascular services at Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

The patient was seen by doctors at Glan Clwyd Hospital in Denbighshire in January 2018, but it was another 11 months before he had what was described as "urgent surgery". The public services ombudsman for Wales also criticised the delay of nearly four years to respond to the patient's complaints.

Ombudsman Michelle Morris said there was a "complete failure" to follow treatment guidelines and the health board's own policies.

Slater and Gordon’s clinical negligence team is now representing multiple clients who have been affected by this negligence.